


White Collar Commentfics

by mithrel



Series: Commentfics [9]
Category: White Collar
Genre: Blanket Permission, Gen, Multi, POV Outsider, Podfic Welcome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-08
Updated: 2012-09-08
Packaged: 2017-11-13 20:25:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 1,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/507388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mithrel/pseuds/mithrel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My White Collar commentfics.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> June, what she'll never tell.

Neal thinks he’s a man of mystery, but she lived with Byron a long time. She sees the way he looks at Peter, and more rarely, Elizabeth, when she comes over. She’s seen the way he looks away whenever they kiss or hold hands. And, later, she sees when he stops looking away, starts teasing them like they tease each other, sees how he brushes Peter’s hand with his own as they’re walking, how he kisses Elizabeth on the cheek as a hello. 

It’s not her place to judge. The Burkes are good people, and Neal deserves to be happy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is shocked to discover that Neal likes the coyote more than the roadrunner.

He’s not sure how this conversation started, but he’s sure this says something deep about Neal’s psychology. “How can you prefer the coyote?”

Neal shrugs. “I just do.”

“I thought sure you’d like the roadrunner. I mean you _are_ the roadrunner!”

Neal smirks at him. “I can’t be the roadrunner, because I got caught.”

Peter stares at him, mouth open, “So you’re saying that makes me the coyote?”

“You’re the one who started it by comparing me to the roadrunner. But no, you can’t be the coyote. You’re never a victim of malfunctioning supplies.”

“What about all the times somebody set up a scrambling field to interfere with our wire?” Peter shoots back, wondering what this argument would say about _his_ psychology.

“Not a problem with the wire,” Neal replies.

“OK, so _why_ do you like the coyote better than the roadrunner?”

“I feel sorry for him,” Neal says promptly. “All he ever wanted was to catch the roadrunner, and the roadrunner keeps making a fool out of him.”

“Just so we’re clear, I’m not the coyote, right?” Peter says suspiciously.

Neal grins and shakes his head. “Like I said, you actually caught me.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter/Neal/El, Truth or Dare.

El smirks at Neal. “Neal, Truth or Dare.”

“Dare,” he says promptly, just as he did the last three times one of them asked.

The three of them had been celebrating the end of a particularly thorny case when Neal somewhat tipsily suggested strip poker. Peter had vetoed that immediately, on the grounds that even if he didn’t cheat, Neal would win. He’d pouted, then suggested Truth or Dare instead, and because he wasn’t the only one who’d been drinking, they’d agreed.

“Are you _ever_ going to pick Truth?”

Neal just smiles at Peter, who rolls his eyes.

“Hm, I’m running out of ideas,” El says. “Suggestions?”

“No consults!” Neal says before Peter can say anything.

This time Elizabeth pouts. After a moment, though, she nods, gets up, rummages through their CD collection and puts one in the player. “You wanted to strip, so strip,” she says as the beginning of “No Sleep Tonight” drifts into the room. “You can leave your hat on.”

Neal groans. “You didn’t.”

She smirks back at him. “I did.”

Neal grins and gets up, putting his hands on his hips and gyrating to the beat, then starting to slowly unbutton his shirt. When he’s done he throws it to Elizabeth, who catches it and buries her face in it. Peter snorts, but she notices he’s not looking away.

Neal’s eyes light on Peter, and he sashays toward him while Peter rolls his eyes. “I really need a pole to do this properly,” he says, and, OK, now Peter’s not the only one wishing Neal would pick “Truth” for once.

He seems to be doing fine though, licking his lips and draping himself over Peter’s lap.

“I thought you were stripping,” Elizabeth protests, but Neal just waves a hand at her irritatedly.

She’s not really annoyed, though. Watching Neal give Peter a lapdance while he tries to hide his blushes behind eyerolls is fine with her.

Neal laces his fingers behind Peter’s neck, grinning lecherously, and starts grinding.

A few minutes later he says, “Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

“And you call my lines bad?” Elizabeth says.

Neal shifts down so he can work at Peter’s belt buckle. Yes, she can definitely get behind this.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter/Neal/El, they officially bring Neal into their relationship.

“Neal, you should come over for dinner next Wednesday,” El says as she hands him a coffee.

Neal freezes, his eyes darting to Peter sitting in a nearby chair. “But that’s your anniversary!”

El rolls her eyes. “I know. _I’m_ not the one who forgets.”

“Hey!” Peter protests. El sticks her tongue out at him in response.

“So will you come?”

“El…” he starts.

She pouts at him. He never could handle the pout. “Alright, I’ll come.”

The pout disappears, replaced by a beaming smile, and she leans down and kisses him on the cheek.

***

When Wednesday comes, Neal shows up, looking uncomfortable. When they sit down to eat, he perches on the edge of his chair and only picks at his food, coming up with something he needs to do at home or saying “I should go,” every two minutes.

No matter how many times he hears “Stay” or “It can wait,” he doesn’t relax. After twenty minutes of this El catches Peter’s eye and cocks her head ever-so-slightly at Neal. Peter nods.

“Neal, we have something for you,” Elizabeth says, reaching into her pocket. Peter does the same, and they each hold out their boxes to Neal.

Neal’s mouth drops open slightly when he sees the rings inside. One is a simple gold band, twin to Peter’s save for the engraving on the inside. Peter’s reads 10-23-99. Neal’s reads 10-23-10. The other is threaded onto a chain so he can wear it around his neck.

“Are you serious?”

“We wouldn’t have invited you over if we weren’t,” Peter says.

“We certainly wouldn’t have invited you to move in if we weren’t,” Elizabeth adds.

Neal’s at a loss for words for a moment, then recovers. “You call this a proposal?” he says indignantly.

Elizabeth looks at Peter, who rolls his eyes and gets up from the table. He kneels down next to Neal, holds out the ring and says “Neal Caffrey, will you marry me?”

Neal grins. “What do you think?” he replies and lets Peter slide the ring on his finger.

Elizabeth repeats the proposal, and when he accepts, puts the chain over his head.

“I’ll have to get rings for you guys.”

“As long as you don’t steal them,” Peter says.

Neal gives him his best innocent look, then nods quietly. “I wouldn’t steal for this. It’s too important.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter/Neal/(El), he feels disloyal.

He feels disloyal. He’s been married for ten years and never looked at another woman. He even told El about what’s-her-name at Hearts Wide Open, not that _that_ meant anything to him (stupid woman not falling for Neal like all the rest of them do!), and been lucky that she didn’t take his head off after that remark about “magic hands.”

Speaking of Neal…

Peter sighs. The way that one lock of hair falls over his forehead, the way he smiles…not the shark’s grin that he uses on a mark. The real one, when he’s relaxed, content...

Elizabeth trusts him, and he’s betraying that trust. With a convicted felon, yet. And what’s worse, Elizabeth _likes_ Neal. If she knew…

Knew that when he’s being particularly infuriating, Peter wants to crowd him against the wall and kiss the arguments out of his mouth…

Knew that when Neal had confessed he was the only person he trusted Peter had felt something lurch in his gut…

Knew that he’s never given a second thought to another woman and now is fantasizing about another man…

Not that it matters. Neal might trust him, but Peter can’t trust Neal, not completely. He knows he’s got his own agenda.

But he’s thought about it, and that thought makes him feel guilty as hell, because he _does_ love El and couldn’t bear to lose her…

Things were so much simpler before Neal Caffrey waltzed into his life.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter/Neal/(El), Neal notices things.

FBI agents aren’t the only ones who are good observers. Neal’s seen the sidelong glances, the unfocused eyes, the parted lips.

He doesn’t act on it. Not that he’s not tempted by Peter’s careworn good looks–and not that he couldn’t seduce Peter in a heartbeat, especially when he’s already half-hooked. A few careful words, a kiss or two… But he can’t do that to Peter, the only person he really trusts. He can’t do that to Elizabeth, warm, caring Elizabeth, who accepted him without reservation, who believes he’ll always do the right thing.

Because Peter loves Elizabeth, anyone with eyes can tell that. And he’s been careful to confine himself to glances, clearly thinking Neal won’t notice. Not likely; a con man has more depending on his ability to read people than almost anyone else. He won’t come between Peter and Elizabeth. Neither of them deserve that.


End file.
